CEN15CA073

Factual narrative

The airplane nosed over during the landing roll. The 83-year-old pilot landed on the 1,944 foot long grass airstrip, and the airplane continued off the end of the airstrip and crossed over the paved intersecting runway. The airplane then continued to travel 60 feet where it struck an embankment, and another 30 feet before nosing over and substantially damaging the firewall. The pilot stated that a gust of wind caused him to lose directional control of the airplane before it nosed over. The wind reported at the Benton Harbor Airport, located 13 miles from the accident airport, was variable at 6 knots. The pilot purchased the airplane in 1983, and the aircraft registration lapsed in 2011. The pilot told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that he could not find his aircraft or pilot logbooks, and that he did not know when he last had a flight review. The pilot's last FAA airmen medical was dated December 15, 1983. The pilot landed on the 1,944 foot long grass airstrip and traveled off the end of the airstrip, crossing a paved intersecting runway. The airplane continued to travel another 60 feet where it struck an embankment. The airplane traveled another 30 feet before nosing over causing substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot stated that a gust of wind caused him to lose directional control of the airplane before it nosed over; however wind reported at a nearby airport was variable at 6 knots. It could not be determined if the airplane touched down at too high of an airspeed or if the pilot landed long on the airstrip. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C